Soundabout
Soundabout is a small national charity whose vision is a world where everyone can access and experience music. They use music, sound, and silence to create opportunities where Learning Disabled children and adults with complex support needs thrive. Over the past twenty-eight years, Soundabout’s approach has provided opportunities for Learning Disabled people to enjoy making music with their families, peers, and communities throughout England, and improving communication, community and connectedness, self-expression, enjoyment, and wellbeing.
Soundabout supports around 1,500 Learning children, young people and adults each year through opportunities that are accessible, inclusive, high quality, interactive, and person-centred, with training for families, carers, professionals, and partner organisations supporting them so they can continue to use these techniques. Soundabout opportunities come in a variety of forms including online, hybrid, and in-person across a variety of
settings such as schools, day centres, residential homes, hospices, community/arts venues. Examples of Soundabout activities include music making within schools, inclusive Choirs designed for people with complex support needs at the centre, and Sounds Wild projects where sound is explored outdoors using a forest school approach. Soundabout’s virtual offer continues to engage families who are at home, or in hospitals and hospices.
This funding aims to significantly strengthen Soundabout’s organisational capacity during a time of learning, reflection, and development. This would help Soundabout to realise the strategic aims and objectives set out in ‘Soundabout Build’, their 2024-27 strategic plan, taking them to their 30th anniversary year, while also helping them to meet the growing demand and address wider systemic challenges facing Learning Disabled people with complex support needs. The grant will also support the further growth of Learning Disability representation at every level of Soundabout. Following three years of the Emerging Leaders programme, Soundabut now supports 26 Learning Disabled Graduate Emerging Leaders who are undertaking voluntary and paid placements, and this grant will help us to ensure that they have sustainable and viable progression routes. With only 5.1% of Learning Disabled adults in England in paid employment, Soundabout aims to make an impact across the sector by sharing learning and aligning with potential strategic partners.
Soundabout
Soundabout is a small national charity whose vision is a world where everyone can access and experience music. They use music, sound, and silence to create opportunities where Learning Disabled children and adults with complex support needs thrive. Over the past twenty-eight years, Soundabout’s approach has provided opportunities for Learning Disabled people to enjoy making music with their families, peers, and communities throughout England, and improving communication, community and connectedness, self-expression, enjoyment, and wellbeing.
Soundabout supports around 1,500 Learning children, young people and adults each year through opportunities that are accessible, inclusive, high quality, interactive, and person-centred, with training for families, carers, professionals, and partner organisations supporting them so they can continue to use these techniques. Soundabout opportunities come in a variety of forms including online, hybrid, and in-person across a variety of
settings such as schools, day centres, residential homes, hospices, community/arts venues. Examples of Soundabout activities include music making within schools, inclusive Choirs designed for people with complex support needs at the centre, and Sounds Wild projects where sound is explored outdoors using a forest school approach. Soundabout’s virtual offer continues to engage families who are at home, or in hospitals and hospices.
This funding aims to significantly strengthen Soundabout’s organisational capacity during a time of learning, reflection, and development. This would help Soundabout to realise the strategic aims and objectives set out in ‘Soundabout Build’, their 2024-27 strategic plan, taking them to their 30th anniversary year, while also helping them to meet the growing demand and address wider systemic challenges facing Learning Disabled people with complex support needs. The grant will also support the further growth of Learning Disability representation at every level of Soundabout. Following three years of the Emerging Leaders programme, Soundabut now supports 26 Learning Disabled Graduate Emerging Leaders who are undertaking voluntary and paid placements, and this grant will help us to ensure that they have sustainable and viable progression routes. With only 5.1% of Learning Disabled adults in England in paid employment, Soundabout aims to make an impact across the sector by sharing learning and aligning with potential strategic partners.
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